Method of hanger bracket replacement



March 12, 1940 v. H. HARBERT memos OF HANGER BRACKET REPLACEMENT Filed March 12, 1938 Patented Ma. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES vvPATENT OFF! 2 Claims- (o1, 29-164) My invention relates to a method of rehabilitating railroad trucks, the side frames whereof are provided with the old types of brackets heretofore in use, before the present day type of 5 brake hangers were. known, namely closed brackets cast integral with. the side frames, which require such truck side frames to be discarded as soon as the integral brackets'become worn beyond the point ofsafety. v .10 The brake hanger brackets on truck side frames previously employed were generally of what is known as the closed barrel type consisting of apertured lugs cast integral with the inner side of the frame.

brake hanger held in place by a suitable pin; whereas the later and now more generally used continuous link hangers cannot be employed with such brackets.

One'of the reasons forabandoning the-closed barrel type of bracket is the fact that" it does not lend itself .to the use of wear take-uprmeans which are generally'employed with whatmay be called the open jaw type of bracket, namely a if bracket consisting of a pair of vertically spaced jaws united at the rear to provide a socket'which permits use of either type of hanger.

Truck side frames of present day construction are now constructed with the open jaw type of brackets which also permit the use of keeper elements between which the upper end of the hanger or hanger pin is disposed; these keeper elements relieving the bracket of wearresulting from the constant vibration and swinging move- :23 ment of the hanger.-

With the closed barrel type of bracket, the more or less constant vibratory movement during operation of the car, soon wore the bracket so its further use was not only unsafe but was also prohibited; the wearing thin of the bracket (made of softer metal than the hanger supporting pin) often permitting the brake beams to drop down onto the track rail, causing derailment. Although the truck in general was still useful, the worn barrel or closed typeof integral brackets necessitated the discarding of the truck, entailing considerable expense as well as loss in service of the car.

The purpose of my invention is to provide these so used truck. side frames with open type brackets of the type heretofore mentioned thus rehabilitating the trucks for further service and enabling the use of the continuous type of link or brake hanger, as well as the use of suitable keeper ele- 55 mentsadapted to resist the wear, namely ele- This aperturedlug or barrel type .15 merely would permit the use of the old'U-type of ments which consist of greater wear resisting metal than that employed in the truck side frames and their integral brackets; elements which may be readily adjusted or replaced when they become worn to an extent where thebrake- 5 beams 'drop below the required position for properbrake application. i

My invention contemplates the removal, by suitable cutting torch, of the outer or apertured barrel portion of the lug so as to leave a sufficient =10 portion of the-integral lug whereby to provide an anchoring portion for the intimate attachment, by welding, of the open jaw type of .hanfger bracketwhose inner end is formed to lap and also provide abutting surfaces whereby it may be v completely welded to the truck frame. i

The method and resulting structure will be fully comprehended from the detailed descrip-,.

tion of the accompanying drawing, wherein: I

'Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a truck .,20

side frame with the open jaw type of bracket and showing the upper end of a "closed link hanger; while portions of thet'ruckside'. frame and inner end of the bracket are shown in section to disclose method of application.

Figure 2 is a Vertical sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

The drawing shows the part of the truck side frame ill with the outer apertured and worn end j of the bracket burned off or cut away so as to i leave the laterally disposed lug portion 1 l which is generally of the arcuate formation more clearly shown in Figure 2.

After the old bracket has been burned off or cutaway to the extent shown,I provide a modern bracket l2, which consists of an arm portion 93, .whose inner end is made to vconform, more or; less, with the cross-sectional configuration of the lug I l which is integral with the side frame. The an outer end of the arm terminates in two vertically spaced apart jaw portions M, I4, extending laterally toward one side of the arm portion, thus providing a socket or pocket, closed at the rear,

adapted to receive suitable wear resisting elements or keeper means, as at l5,which are formed to swingingly support the hanger H5 out of contact with the jaw portion of the bracket H2. The keeper or wear resisting means 15 are removably secured in the pocket or socket formed between 5 the jaw portions l4, 14 by any suitable mechanism, as for example by the bolt I! which extends through registering holes in the two jaws i l, I l.

The vertical wall portion of the bracket arm I 3 at the outer endhas a pair of jaws I4, I 5 extending laterally therefrom; this vertical wall of the arm l3 provides a closure for the inner end of the keeper and hanger receiving pocket or socket. This vertical wall at the top is made somewhat arcuate as shown at Hi to match the arcuate upper surface of the lug l I and this arcuate portion iii of the bracket arm I3 is arranged in overlapping relation with the upper surface of the lug I l of the truck side frame, with the immediate end of the arm I3 shown arranged in close proximity to the body of the frame.

With the rehabilitating hanger bracket formed as shown and the old bracket lug cut away to leave the laterally extending lug ll, access to all points of juncture or contacts between the new bracket l2 and the partially cut away old bracket and the side of the frame is made possible.

I propose to intimately unite the hanger bracket l2 with the side frame by welding the outer end of the lug H to the overlapping arm 13 along the arcuate and vertical perimeters of the lug l I, as at l8; also along the respective edges of the arm 13 and lug H, as shown at 26; while the immediate end of the arm l3 of the new bracket is also intimately united to the wall of the truck side frame I0 by welding as shown at 2| in Figure 1. That is to say, all accessible contacting surfaces between the arm of the bracket and the truck'frame and its integral lug I! are welded together, with the result that a strong, integral construction is provided wherein the bracket also is supported by the projecting lug H.

With my method of rehabilitation the discarded trucks or truck side frames not only enable the trucks to be again put into service, but also adapt the trucks to the more modern methods of suspending or supporting the brake hangers which involve hanger retaining means whereby the integral portion of the truck frame or bracket is not subjected to the vibratory wearing action of the hanger; namely retainer means which, in the event of wear, may be easily removed and replaced, thus greatly enhancing the I truck rehabilitation which consists in cutting off the outer ends of the worn integral hanger holding members so as to leave relatively large laterally disposed lugs on the truck side frame with substantially plain surfaces; providing brackets having laterally extending arms whose inner walls match the contour of the outer walls of the lugs and arranging said arms in overlapping relation with a side and the top of the lugs and the ends of the arms in juxtaposition with the side frame; and then integrally uniting the bracket arms to the truck side frame and to the tops and side walls of said lugs by welding the exposed contiguous surfaces.

2. The herein described method of railroad truck rehabilitation which consists in removing the worn outer apertured hanger receiving ends of the brake hanger holding arms of the hanger brackets which extend laterally from the truck side frames so as to leave laterally disposed portions 'of the arms, applying hanger holding brackets having vertically spaced jaws at their outer ends and laterally disposed arm portions, providing the arm portions extending from the truck side frames and the arm portions of the jawed brackets with substantially parallel surfaces, placing the ends of both arm portions in juxtaposition so as to dispose the hanger receiving jaws at the standard distance from the truck side frames and filling the juncture between the juxtaposed arm portions with weld metal and thereby integrally uniting said arm portions.

VICTOR H. HARBERT. 

